


Fateswap

by sempre_balla



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M, but mainly angst yeah, it'll follow the plotline so when there's fluff in the manga there'll be fluff here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-27 18:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2702141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempre_balla/pseuds/sempre_balla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, you’re far too dull to be a protagonist anyway,” </p><p>“And you’re far too flashy to be the protagonist of a tragedy,”</p><p>-</p><p>In which Kaneki and Hide's roles change: Hide turns into a half-ghoul and Kaneki is the one left behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> So my fic experience consists of a fluffy oneshot. Let's write a complicated ansgty multichapter that forces me to mess with character devlopement and will probably get OOC at some point. Good job, me. 
> 
> Anyway, I got this idea about Hide's and Kaneki's roles swapping and it just sounded so good in my ears I had to write it myself. I can't believe I actually did it though goddamn.
> 
> As I said, it will follow the plotline, and yes, there will be gay feelings (I tried to keep it neutral I swear they're just so gay for eachother I couldn't help it).
> 
> I have no idea how long this will be, but yeah, I hope you like it!

" _On the 28th, parts of the remains of a man's body were found one the street by the Takada building. Fluid from what is thought to be a ghoul was left at the scene. Investigators are considering this the work of..._ "

 

Kaneki tuned out the voices coming from the television screen, raising his cup to his lips and blowing gently. He let his gaze wander around the coffee shop.

 

"Scary..." Hide's voice caught his attention. "The Takada building's pretty close..." The blond averted his eyes from the screen, turning to look at Kaneki. “A scrawny kid like you would be eaten up n a second, Kaneki. You’re always reading incomprehensible books."

 

"W-what do you mean, incomprehensible..." Kaneki retorted weakly. "Hide, if you would just pick a book you might get it..."

 

"It's no use, I'd fall asleep after five seconds,” Hide muttered, lowering his head slowly and resting it on the table. Kaneki took a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrows at his best friend.

 

"Anyway, I was just thinking... I've never once seen a ghoul," the dark-haired boy commented as he put his drink down. “Do they really exist? Monsters that eat people…”

 

“They must…” Hide mumbled, his cheek squashed against the table. "I've heard that they disguise themselves as humans and lie in wait... and then suddenly they're there. Things like that.”

 

“Disguised as humans, huh…” Kaneki looked around the shop again, gaze wandering over unfamiliar faces.

 

“Kaneki, maybe I’m a ghoul!” The blond beamed, all traces of seriousness fading.

 

“Idiot,” Kaneki said, vaguely wondering why that word had sounded so affectionate. "If you were a ghoul, I think I would be very dead by now, Hide".

 

His best friend chuckled, exclaiming, “I’d never eat you, Kaneki! I’m sure you taste pretty gross anyway!” He was wearing a goofy smile, his teeth on display. Kaneki squinted.

 

“Weren’t you the one who just told me I would be eaten up in a second?” he asked, but Hide just laughed. Kaneki sighed in defeat. “Why don’t we talk about something besides ghouls? For example, which one’s the cute coffee shop girl you were telling me about? The one that also likes Takatsuki’s works?” He looked around the establishment again, this time a bit more discreetly.

 

“Oh, she’s not here right now.” Hide’s smile was kind of sheepish, a faint blush painting his cheeks. Kaneki swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. “I actually meant a customer, not an employee.”

 

 _Well, that’s a relief_ , Kaneki thought as he glanced at the pretty waitress serving the tables. At first she seemed like your average goth kid, but she was really cute once you got a good look.

 

“Oh! Oh! That’s her!” Hide blurted, tapping Kaneki’s shoulder quickly and repeatedly. The black-haired boy shook his best friend’s hand away and peeked at the door to examine Hide’s new crush. He felt his breath catch in his throat.

 

“So? What do you think?” Hide whispered, leaning over the table and getting close to his friend’s face. Kaneki sat there, frozen, his eyes never leaving the gorgeous and purple-haired bespectacled lady.

 

That was too much. She was too much, and it was completely overwhelming. What was he supposed to do against such a beauty? It wasn’t even an issue of personal preferences, that girl was objectively good-looking. So charming, beautiful, and lovely. She was truly a pleasure to look at, a gift to the eyes, real eyecandy, so-

 

Kaneki’s thought process was abruptly cut by rough hands on his shoulders, shaking him vigorously. “Hey! Are you listening? Why aren’t you saying anything? Hey, Kaneki! Did you have a seizure? Do I need to call to call an ambulance? Do you need immediate assistance? Maybe CPR?”

 

Kaneki stared straight into his best friend’s eyes, embarrassed and honestly horrified at the same time. When the blond started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, Kaneki pushed him away.

 

“Hide!” he sputtered, most likely blushing furiously. Maybe punching the mocking smirk out of the other boy’s face wouldn’t really be a bad idea.

 

“So? What are your thoughts?” Hide asked, still smiling.

 

Kaneki looked at the girl, back at his friend, back to the girl again, and then finally shot Hide a dry look.

 

“She’s not your type,” he said flatly.

 

“I know, right?”

 

“Right.”

 

Hide smiled and sipped his drink.

 

“Oh my god, Hide. I’m trying, but I really can’t tell what you’re thinking,” Kaneki stated, feeling his patience running thin.

 

“It’s _because_ she’s not my type!” Kaneki expected him to go on, but Hide just smiled at him, and the brunette got the sudden urge to rub his temples in frustration. 

 

“Right. Sorry for not being as perceptive as you are, but why would you want to go out with someone’s who’s actually my type, and not yours? _At all._ ” Kaneki glanced at the purple haired beauty again for emphasis.

 

Hide looked at his friend with a dramatically crestfallen expression, like he was disappointed. Kaneki wanted to roll his eyes. So he did.

 

“Don’t roll your eyes at me, Kaneki! It makes sense!” Hide banged his fists on the table, and Kaneki jumped a bit on his seat. He felt like glaring at his friend was necessary. 

 

“Would you be kind enough to grace me with an explanation? This is getting tiring.” Kaneki narrowed his eyes a bit when Hide gave him a bright smile, like he was awaiting for an excuse to stop acting mysterious and give a proper answer. It was like basking at direct sunlight, so he averted his eyes.

 

“Look, you know how things with my last crush went.” Hide waited until Kaneki nodded before continuing. “Yeah, that went downhill. So I was just chilling here in Anteiku, reading the newspaper, drinking some coffee, munching on some cake, you know the drill.” The blond looked at his friend again, waiting for another nod. Kaneki just rolled his eyes again, and Hide pouted. “You roll your eyes a lot lately! Don’t you know that sass makes guys unpopular nowadays? Anyway! I was munching some cake when I saw this mysterious forest nymph” -another eye roll- “walk in. And I thought, ‘you know what? Frick this! Who cares if she’s not my type?’ Let’s change things up--it’ll be fun! Spice things up! Jazz them up! Galvanize them! One has to invigorate life, Kanekkers!”

 

Kaneki inhaled loudly, looking at his best friend with a strained expression and hoping his _your-words-physically-pain-me_ message got across.

 

“You’re not gonna like her, Hide. If you ever get her to agree do go on a date with you, which I highly doubt, you’re going to get bored in less than an hour. I’m calling it,” he stated sternly, the corners of his lips turned down in a slight frown.

 

“Okay, first of all, Kaneki, I’m _wounded_.  Second of all, of course I’m gonna like her! Have you seen her? She’s just like you! I bet I’ll love her.” Hide smiled again, but it wasn’t beaming or wide. This time his smile was gentle, soft and loving, and Kaneki wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry, glare or just give up on life and bang his head on the desk. Repeatedly.

 

“I don’t get it, though” Hide said, dragging his words. He wasn’t smiling anymore, and he rested his chin on the palm of his hand. “What’s so appealing about those tragedies you both seem to enjoy so much? I mean, you already know they’re gonna end up terribly…”

 

Kaneki let out a breathy chuckle, looking at his bag. Takatsuki’s new work rested inside of it, waiting to be read in a very short amount of time and then reread over and over again.

 

“I actually have no idea. I just like them, I guess. I don’t have a big reason for finding them more enjoyable than the rest of stories. Maybe I like them because they make me feel better about my life, since it’ll never get as messed up as the protagonist’s,” the brunette smiled bashfully and looked away. He always felt a bit bad talking about his apparently incomprehensible books to Hide, even though his friend never complained and was the one who asked in the first place.

 

“Well, you’re far too dull to be a protagonist anyway,” Hide said nonchalantly, making a vague hand gesture.

 

“And you’re far too flashy to be the protagonist of a tragedy,” Kaneki retorted with a playful grin, feeling the weight of anxiety lift off his chest. The way Hide was always able to unconsciously calm him down and make him feel better never ceased to amaze him.

 

“I know, right? I’d be an awesome character for an Agatha Christie novel, though”.

 

“I’m sure you would, Hide.” Kaneki bit his lip to hide his fond smile and changed the subject. “So how are you going to ask her out?”

 

Hide flashed him a cocky grin, lifting an eyebrow and letting out a short laugh.

 

“I have no idea, but worry not, my friend. Since I’m such a charmer, she’s gonna accept me no matter what way I approach her.” The blond puffed out his chest in a confident pose.

 

Kaneki sighed, trying his best to ingore the nagging uncomfortable feeling that settled in his stomach again.

 

“I don’t really know about that, but good luck I guess.”

 

* * *

 

 

Rize was great. Yep, Rize was truly amazing. She was smart, nice, and shy, and she had this mysterious aura around her. She was modest and kind, and she had a great body, too: hourglass figure, average height -- not too tall, not too short -- and _goddamn_ , her rack.

 

She was so easy to talk to. Conversation flowed smoothly between them, she giggled at Hide’s lame jokes, and she would nudge him playfully.

 

Rize was great. There was no denying that. She had _awesome_ purple hair too.

 

Rize was cute. She blushed adorably and quietly announced she was on a diet after taking just a single bite of her sandwich and going to the bathroom. So girly.

 

Rize was cute.

 

She was pretty when she blushed. Adorable. Delightful. Really, really, really cute.

 

Not as cute as Kaneki, though.

 

Her blush wasn’t as pretty as the other boy’s either.

 

Talking to her was nowhere near as fun as talking to his best friend. She would nudge him playfully, and he would feel sick. She would touch his arm, and he would feel an uncomfortable lump in his throat. She would giggle at his lame jokes, and he would feel like throwing up.

 

_Why are you laughing? Kaneki wouldn’t laugh. He’d be rolling his eyes, giving me a done look and a sassy response, and he’d punch me lightly..._

 

Rize was great. She was awesome. But she was nothing like Kaneki. She should be, technically speaking, but she felt different. She wasn’t safe; she wasn’t _home_. The vibe she gave off was nowhere near as appeasing as Kaneki’s, and Hide was unbelievably uneasy. Something was wrong with her. He just didn’t know what.

 

 _‘You’re not gonna like her, Hide. I’m calling it.’_ Kaneki’s words echoed in his head, and Hide sighed deeply. He knew his childhood friend wasn’t someone to say ‘I told you so’, but he still didn’t look forward to their next meeting. At all.

 

“Hide-san?” Rize’s smooth voice called out. “Are you alright?”

 

Hide forced a smile and turned to look at her. She was peeking at him through her eyelashes, eyes big and lips parted in a way that should be attractive, but only made him want to gag.

 

“Ye-yeah. I’m just. My house is in the other direction, so…” The blond gestured awkwardly behind his back.

 

Rize looked down, her eyebrows creasing, and lifted her hand to her chin. Her shoulders were hunched down, making her look smaller and more fragile.

 

"Um... My house is a little bit before the Takada Building street and... recently... there was an accident there," she mumbled, her voice trembling.

 

"Oh... er, the ghoul..." Hide answered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t like where this was going.

 

"Yes… I've been worried about it ever since... and I'm scared walking home alone…” He could see her hands shaking in front of her lips.

 

_Run away. Leave her be. She can walk home by herself just fine._

 

“I think about it so much I can't sleep at night..."

 

_She doesn’t need me. What if something happens to her? It’s none of my business. I just need to get rid of her, this is the perfect chance._

_Run. Leave._

_Run._

_Run. This is bad. Trust your intuition. Leave._

_Run._

“How about I walk you home, then?”

 

_Run._

 

 

* * *

 

 

“And then Kaneki told me, ‘Well, at least the books don’t make lame jokes.’ Can you believe that?” Hide gestured widely, making a hurt face.

 

“Oh, that’s mean! Kaneki-san sounds interesting, though.” Rize flashed him a smile, and for some reason, it made Hide angry.

 

“Of course he is! He’s my best friend, after all.” Hide let out a puff of air, raising a hand to his chest in a proud gesture.

 

Rize giggled again. She took Hide’s hand and pushed it away from his chest, laying her head on it instead. The blond tensed up and stood still, not knowing how to react.

 

“Hide-san… The truth is, I noticed.” Rize’s voice was soft and seductive as she glanced up to look at him in the eye, a faint blush spread across her cheeks. “You were watching me… Hide-san… I too…” Hide’s eyes widened as the ones staring back at him darkened in an unnatural fashion.

 

Realization hit him a few seconds too late.

 

_“... was watching you!”_

 

Hide could feel teeth sinking into his skin, tearing his flesh apart. He gripped his shoulder tightly and felt his hand getting soaked with his own blood. His legs crumpled and he fell back on the ground, breathing heavily through clenched teeth.

 

“Oh my… Are you alright?” Rize cooed, licking _his_ blood on _her_ lips. “Yes, it’s me… it never occurred to you, did it? That I’m a ghoul!” Four bright red appendages formed on Rize’s lower back, menacing and ready to charge.

 

“You’d be surprised…” Hide chuckled under his breath, standing up hastily and turning around to rush in the opposite direction as fast as he could, desperation getting to him. _I should’ve left when I had the chance. Why did I agree to walk her home? I should’ve trusted my instincts._

 

_Run._

_I can still run._

 

A warm, rough tentacle wrapped around his ankle, making him loose his balance and hit his head on the ground. He felt his body being dragged backwards towards Rize.

 

“Got you~” the ghoul sing-songed, towering over him and wearing a sweet, innocent smile. “Hide-san… this must be the first ghoul claw you’ve seen.” Just on cue, one of the appendages sharpened and pointed at his body. “I’ll gently scratch inside your stomach for you…” Another giggle.

 

Hide grit his teeth and threw his backpack at the ghoul’s weapon, rising off the floor and hurriedly running away again. His sprint didn’t last long, though. He felt something thick and warm impaling him through his stomach and slamming him against a wall.

 

The pain was unbearable. His vision started to black out around the edges and his body felt limp and useless. He could feel himself losing consciousness as Rize approached him slowly and steadily.

 

His eyes were starting to close up.

 

He couldn’t feel his limbs anymore.

 

_Kaneki… I’m sorry._

 

* * *

 

 

_What…?_

 

Beeping sounds. Blinding lights. Faint voices.

 

“His abdomen… lost… intestines… shifted… he…”

 

Pain.

 

“...and transplant her organs in him…”

 

He could feel hands stroking, grabbing, clutching, pulling him down, farther and farther into darkness.

 

“...heart rate stabilized… succesful...”

 

 _‘And you’re far too flashy to be the protagonist of a tragedy’_. A teasing tone. A playful smile. Warmness in grey eyes.

 

_Maybe starring in a tragedy really fits me after all..._

 

 


	2. Strange Phenomenon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn you, salmon

_“Yo, Kaneki, what are you reading?”_

_The dark-haired boy lifted his gaze to look at the blond. He had snot dripping from his nose, and Kaneki snorted lightly. His friend looked ridiculous._

_“It’s Kafka. The Metamorphosis,” Kaneki answered, smiling faintly._

_“Oooh, sounds fancy! What’s it about?” Hide leaned his whole weight on his friend’s desk, peeking over Kaneki’s head to take a look at the words._

_“Um… It’s about this salesman that wakes up transformed into an enormous insect and starts to worry about work stuff... I haven’t gotten really far yet.” Kaneki’s eyes drifted back to the words, but when Hide started conversations he never stopped until he was satisfied._

_“That’s kinda weird… Isn’t that too morbid for a kid in eighth grade?” Hide’s words were curious, without a hint of ill intent._

_“Well… it kinda makes me think about what I’d do if I turned into an insect…” Kaneki mumbled, immersing himself into the words once more._

_“Hmm…”_

 

* * *

 

 

Hide dragged his feet, strangely amused by the sound of his slippers against the polished floor. He skipped a bit and then set his right foot down, dragging it against the surface of the floor. He kept stretching until his legs almost gave out and he was close to falling.

 

 _I need to work on my flexibility,_ he thought as he straightened again. He wiped the invisible dust from his hospital gown. _That was a close one..._ The thought that he should probably work on not getting too excited with slippery hospital floors crossed his mind as he locked eyes with a middle-aged man, who was very obviously trying to stifle his laughter.

 

Hide looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment as he continued his totally epic quest to the bathroom. He strode with confidence until his legs trembled, and then almost faceplanted against the floor. He inhaled deeply, eyebrows furrowing. _I guess I haven’t completely recovered yet…_

 

He supported his weight on the wall and walked more calmly towards his goal, looking down. He kept seeing Rize’s face, her unnaturally dark eyes, her blood-stained lips; hearing her laughter, the sound of his own skin breaking, loud metallic sounds crushing a body to pieces…

 

As time went by, the events of that day seemed less and less real. It wasn’t something imaginary, though – the scar on his upper abdomen was the real thing. He absentmindedly scratched at the spot, surprised by the fact that touching the tender skin didn’t hurt at all.

 

Hide swallowed the lump in his throat. He had a _very_ bad feeling about this.

 

* * *

 

Hide glared at the salmon in his plate.

 

“Come on, Nagachika-san, don’t be so picky! It tastes just fine!” the nurse reprimanded, giving Hide a disapproving scowl. It looked pretty good on her, since she was really cute. She was totally Hide’s type, and he’d probably be flirting with her if he weren’t feeling so bad.

 

And, well, there was also the whole issue of how his last date ended up. Yeah.

 

So, he decided to glare at the cute nurse instead, and then go back to the salmon. Damn salmon, sitting on his plate, tasting like used engine oil. Damn that salmon. It was probably a very mean fish, swimming grumpily in the ocean when it was still alive.

 

“Nagachika-san, come on!” the nurse scolded, her frown deepening.

 

“Excuse me, but I’m a patient in recovery.” Hide dramatically pointed at his abdomen, just where his scar was located. “I’m bouncing back from a _very_ serious operation and a _highly_ traumatizing experience, so the last thing you should do is force me to eat when I don’t have the appetite.”

 

The nurse kept insisting, but he just crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking far more prideful that what he felt like. He was terrified.

 

Hide hadn’t been able to eat anything at all since he'd woken up. And, well, he didn’t have an appetite either way.

 

_Could it be…?_

 

He was probably just sick from the surgery. It wasn’t anything serious.

 

_It can’t be..._

 

He’d gotten his internal organs squashed and pierced. Taking the circumstances into consideration, not having an appetite was pretty normal.

 

_I can’t let it be._

 

He would probably just recover with time. No biggie.

 

_I can’t._

 

Hide felt like crying.

 

He didn’t.

 

* * *

 

Hide fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt. He looked around nervously, and then glanced back down at his fidgeting hands. He frowned.

 

Kaneki was late. Kaneki had invited him, yet he was five minutes late. The fact was that it was nothing out of the ordinary. Same old, same old. Classic Kaneki. Naive, innocent, hopeless Kaneki.

 

Kaneki was late, but Hide wasn’t bothered by it. He just wanted to leave, go home, curl up in his bed, and not come out  five or six days. But he was standing in front of Big Girl, their favorite restaurant, fretting uselessly. For Kaneki.

 

His best friend was shy and had the initiative of a socially constipated platypus, but he had actually messaged him, suggesting that they go to Big Girl to celebrate his release from the hospital. Kaneki was far too insecure already, and Hide couldn’t reject his invitation just because of his latent problems with food. If he had to suck up his bitterness and act like his cheery self even though he definitely wasn’t feeling like it, then so be it. It was all for Kaneki.

 

“Hide, hey,” a small, familiar voice called.

 

Hide’s head jerked up, and his eyes locked on the other male, who was sporting an uncharacteristically effortless smile and an affectionate look that made Hide’s heart swell with warmness. _He looks relieved to see me…_

“Yo! You look pretty good. Come on, let’s go!” Hide waved energetically and ushered his friend inside the establishment, pushing him in.

 

“I wish I could say the same thing about you… You look really pale, Hide,” the dark-haired boy mumbled over his shoulder, loud enough for his friend to hear.

 

Hide felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest. Maybe it was Kaneki’s overly concerned tone, maybe it was his words, or maybe it was the fact that even his ridiculously oblivious friend had noticed his pitiable state. He didn’t know what it was, but it caused the grim feeling settled inside him to intensify.

 

Hide felt like crying.

 

He didn’t, though.

 

“Well, I _am_ in recovery. Just give me some days and I’m sure I’ll get better,” he decided to lie instead.

 

Kaneki just gave him an unconvinced look in return, but he still walked over to a free table, not pressing the subject further. Hide was grateful for that.

 

They didn’t even have to look through the menus when they sat down, opting instead for their usual. Kaneki rolled his eyes at Hide’s goofy flirting attempts with the pretty waitress, they made some small talk about class, they laughed, and no touchy subjects were being mentioned. Things were looking good so far.

 

“So… I heard it was pretty troublesome. Performing the transplant without gaining consent from the hospital board or the bereaved family, I mean…” Kaneki said hesitatingly.

 

_Well, fuck._

 

Hide gripped his glass a bit tighter. “Yeah, I guess…”

 

“About that girl… She didn’t have family, did she? And besides, it seemed she was dead on arrival…” Kaneki kept glancing away and then back at him, obviously nervous about asking those kind of questions.

 

Hide sipped his drink, buying time to think about how he should answer.

 

He still hadn’t told anyone she was a ghoul. And even if he did, it didn’t sound true at all. He wanted to tell Kaneki, he really did. Maybe it would take some convincing, but he could probably get his friend to believe him. And he knew he’d support him, which was something he really, _desperately_ needed at the moment.

 

He craved to tell Kaneki the events of that night, the uneasiness, the fear, the pain. He wanted to vent out all of his feelings and frustrations to his best friend. He wished to complain about Rize and point out how she was _nothing_ like Kaneki, and that her cutesy act was disgusting.

 

He wanted to tell him so bad, _so bad_ , but he couldn’t. Not right now, when he was fearing all of the changes in his body that he was fiercely trying to ignore. He couldn’t tell Kaneki anything until he was completely sure of it, and not until he confirmed what he had turned into. And, well, if he actually did confirm it, he’d have to think thoroughly about what to do next.

 

Because he had no idea how to act. He had never felt so lost in his entire life.

 

“U-um… sorry…” Kaneki’s soft voice brought him back to reality, and he scratched his cheek nervously.

 

“No… no, it’s fine,” he answered awkwardly.

 

Hide almost sighed in relief when the waitress set the steaming plates on the table. They never had awkward silences, and he didn’t think he could handle it.

 

All of the relief washed away from his body when he stared at the huge hamburger. It looked good, all juicy and tender and savory and _good_. It looked delicious.

 

It smelled _so bad_ , though. It smelled so fucking bad that he felt like throwing up food he hadn’t even eaten. Hide gulped and grabbed his fork, moving the utensil to the apparently perfectly cooked meat.

 

Hide took in a deep breath, regretting it immediately because – _oh god_ , the smell. He opened his mouth and took a bite of the tender meat, fighting to keep his expression neutral.

 

The _taste_. The taste was so bad that he felt like he was chewing on raw pig intestines. He slowly gnawed at the meat, trying to resist the sickening feeling taking over him. For Kaneki. This was all for Kaneki.

 

For Kaneki.

 

Hide covered his mouth with his hand, feeling the bile rising through his esophagus. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, his throat burning and eyes watering.

 

_For Kaneki._

 

He threw up all that was left in his stomach right on his almost untouched meal.

 

_Fuck…_

 

* * *

 

Hide lay on his bed, face buried in his pillow.

 

Hide was a curious guy, and he didn’t like being ignorant on any topic. Ever since he was a child, he had always had an intense thirst for knowledge. So yeah, it was only natural that at some point in his life he had developed some kind of interest in ghouls.

 

During his sophomore year in high school, he had bought a book about ghouls. He'd read it and found it highly interesting, but at the time he'd settled for basic knowledge. And he didn’t need more than that basic knowledge to fathom what was going on with him.

 

Ever since he woke up in his hospital bed, he hadn’t been able to eat any kind of food. Just the smell of it made him feel nauseous. Even when he hadn’t eaten in days, he wasn’t hungry at all, and when he finally started feeling a nagging hunger in his stomach, food still seemed extremely unappetizing. At first, he was able to push those facts to the back of his mind and focus on other things, but one day, while taking the train to go back home, he found himself shamelessly eyeing a young woman’s thighs, thinking about how tender, tempting, and delicious they looked as drool started dripping from his mouth. He couldn’t deny it any longer.

 

Hide had turned into a ghoul. It was as simple as that.

 

He groaned loudly and buried his head further into his soft pillow. He kicked his legs repeatedly against the mattress and whined.

 

Why. _Why._

 

Just because he wanted to go on a stupid date with a girl he didn’t like to _jazz things up?_ Fucking hell, he even had that horrible feeling during the whole date, but he _still_ suggested that he walk her home.

 

_For someone so smart, I’m so stupid sometimes. God. Damnit._

 

He kicked his mattress again, adding furious punches. He screamed into his pillow until his lungs hurt, and then he relaxed his body, feeling exhausted.

 

His stomach growled for the umpteenth time that evening. He growled too. It was only appropriate, since it drowned out the other sound.

 

_What am I going to do? Just starve myself?_

 

He couldn’t do that. He wanted to survive. He needed to survive. For Kaneki.

 

_For Kaneki…_

 

He was all Kaneki had. He was his guidepost, his support, the only person he could rely on. His best friend had lost too much already, and he needed Hide by his side.

 

Hide recalled Kaneki’s shocked expression and his concerned voice after he puked all over their meal. He grunted in frustration. The black-haired boy had told him he didn’t mind and that he should rest up, but it had obviously been a bad experience for him.

 

Hide grumbled again. His stomach responded with a violent growl.

 

“Shut up,” Hide mumbled tiredly.  

 

* * *

 

Hide shuffled through the alleyway, dragging his feet. The hard concrete against his sneakers didn’t make a sound as entertaining as the polished hospital floor, but he was just too tired to walk properly.

 

He gripped his rumbling stomach as he supported his weight on the wall, sighing. _What am I doing? Where am I even going?_

 

“You’re showing a lot of leg. Why don’t you come with me?”

 

Hide turned his head towards the source of the voice, narrowing his eyes at the scene happening before him.

 

A very clearly drunk and frankly disgusting old man was struggling with a pretty teenage girl, grabbing her wrists. Wait, wasn’t that Anteiku’s waitress? Yes, the cute one. She had such soft looking legs, and that slender waist… _with organs stuffed inside._

 

Hide gulped loudly, slouching forward to hide his face with his hood.

 

“Huh? What are you looking at?” The man’s voice started getting closer, and he felt a hand grip his collar.

 

A sudden wave of rage surged through him, anger settling in his gut. He gritted his teeth and glared at the man, who smelled so good – why did he have to smell so good?

 

“Don’t touch me!” he snarled, swapping the other male’s hands away.

 

The older man’s eyes widened as he looked at him, and he took a step backwards, fear written all over his features.

 

“What’s with your eye? Disgusting!” _Eye...?_ “Get outta here! You monster!”

 

Hide was about to retort, opening his mouth to ask what he was talking about, but the words died in his throat.

 

A diagonal cut suddenly appeared in the man’s face, just right above his nose. Hide stared thoughtlessly as the other male’s face was literally severed in half, frozen in a horrid grimace. Warm blood splashed on his face.

 

“You piss me off,” a low, feminine voice muttered. Hide looked at the young waitress, eyes wide in horror, still trying to process what just happened. “Aww man, I killed him… and I wasn’t even really hungry.” She walked lazily towards the man’s body.

 

_His corpse, that’s his actual corpse, his dead body._

“Maybe I’ll just take an arm. Old man meat’s gross, though,” she said as she tore an arm apart from his body. She turned to look at him and held out the arm with a neutral expression. “What? Do you want some?”

 

_This girl… she’s a ghoul too._

 

Hide stepped backwards as she looked him in the eyes, her expression changing slightly and eyebrows creasing.

 

“Hey, only one of your eyes is red… That’s kinda weird…” Her expression shifted, eyes widening. “Wait. You… why weren’t you eaten?”

 

Hide tensed, cold sweat running down his temples.

 

“Eh… so Rize… but your eye…”

 

Hide didn’t want to hear anything more. He felt sick, so sick, and so so _so_ hungry. He clenched his fists and turned around, running with all his might.

 

He was tired and he was exhausted, but he ran until his limbs felt numb, desperately trying to get away from… he didn’t even know anymore. He hadn’t really felt like he was in danger, since he didn’t think that girl would actually kill him, but he was still so afraid. He almost tripped, but caught himself and kept running frantically, letting out heavy puffs of air.

 

He stopped running after a while, resting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. He straightened his back and hugged his stomach, shaking violently.

 

He wanted to go home.

 

Hide felt like crying.

 

But he didn’t.

 

* * *

 

Hide silently stared back at his reflection. He knew he looked pale, he knew the bags under his eyes weren’t natural, and he knew the mournful expression didn’t suit him at all. But that wasn’t what made him feel like he was being repeatedly stabbed on the chest.

 

He stared back at his mismatched eyes. Aggressive black and bloody red. He saw tears starting to form in his eyes, making the intense, unnatural colors shimmer. He didn’t feel the tears, though. He didn’t feel anything.

 

 _“Well… it kinda makes me think about what I’d do if I turned into an insect…”_ A shy smile. An insecure murmur. Eyes cast down.

 

Hide felt like crying.

 

So he did.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (idk if I should credit my beta (kanekibot on tumblr) and the hidekane support group every chapter, what do I do)
> 
> Also I don't know when I'll upload the next chapter because I'm busy and Nishiki's very hard to write.
> 
> But yeah, thank you so much for reading!


	3. Feeding Ground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goD HERE IT IS AN UPDATE WOW CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS
> 
> Jokes aside, I'm really sorry. This took almost a whole month to update. At first it was just school issues and being busy, but I kinda never stopped being busy, plus I was also kinda really sad and extremely blocked with this chapter. So, late update. Also quality might have dropped because I despise this chapter, but I couldn't work on it anymore before getting angry and deleting it all.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry again, and I hope you enjoy. At least the chapter is longer I guess.

Hide dusted some grinded coffee on his toast and took a small bite. He spit it out on the sink immediately, uncapping a water bottle and taking big gulps. He set the bottle on the counter, wiping his mouth.

 

He wasn’t able to mask the horrid taste of regular food with the taste of coffee, so it tasted like solidified vomit. It still was a huge discovery, knowing that he could actually ingest some normal human food, even if it was just coffee beans. It tasted better when brewed though.

 

He had never been much of a coffee drinker, and when he did he always added as much cream, sugar, and milk as he could, trying a new combination every time. That meant he didn’t really have enough coffee, so he had to go buy as much as he could.

 

Hide put on his jacket, hung his earphones around his neck and grabbed his wallet, humming cheerfully and feeling optimistic for the first time in what felt like forever.

 

Things were looking good.

 

Hide was okay.

 

* * *

 

 

Hide swung the bag full of groceries. _Coffee,_ he corrected in his mind. _It’s actually just coffee, not groceries._ It was the first time he’d spent so much money on a single product, but it was necessary. He should be alright with that amount.

 

He stopped skipping when he felt a strange smell reach his nostrils. He turned around, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. His stomach grumbled as he felt his appetite stirring up. It was a completely foreign fragance, but it was sweet and inviting.

 

Hide started unconsciously following the scent, drool dripping from the corners of his mouth.

 

_It exists… Something I can eat… it exists!!_

 

He sped up, strolling towards the source of that delicious smell, breathing heavily, a hopeful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He turned around a corner, his grin widening. He was so close, so so close to _finally_ being able to _eat, tear into meat, rip it apart, chew it, taste it, swallow it._

 

_Just around the corner… just around…!_

 

Hide stopped dead in his track, his lips frozen in a jittery smile. The scene unfolding in front of him was like nothing he’d ever seen before.

 

A middle-aged man was crouching in front of another male, haphazardly thrown on the ground, his face petrified in a gruesome grimace. The area just below his collarbones was dark and bloody, a few patches of skin and muscle missing.

 

Dead. He was _dead._ And currently being eaten. By a ghoul.

 

Hide’s knees trembled and he fell to the ground, feeling a violent sob shake through his body. The ghoul stopped eating and turned around suddenly, lips and jaw stained with blood and eyes a dark menacing color. Hide shivered and crawled backwards, putting distance in between the monster and him.

 

_I was pulled in by the stench of a corpse…_

 

“Why are you here?” a raspy deep voice asked him. He ducked down his head, not wanting to look at the other man. “What, are you surprised? You’re a ghoul, aren’t you? I can’t see your face…”

 

Hide felt himself shaking and slouched over, trying to think of an appropriate answer that wouldn’t get him killed.

 

“Hey, kid, this guy is mine. You’re throwing me off, get outta here,” the ghoul continued. “Hey, you listening, you dumb shit? I’ll ki-”

 

“ _Boom,_ ” a calm voice snarled as a disturbingly loud crunching sound filled the air, followed by a dull thud.  

 

Hide’s head shot up, looking at the intruder. His eyes widened in shock.

 

Ever since Hide had met Rize his life had been an endless spiral of surprises— _really_ bad surprises. He really couldn’t expect anything that had happened to him, but seeing his college upperclassman holding a limp beheaded body by an arm with disgust was far beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

 

“Jeez… I said, don’t go having a meal on my feeding grounds.” The bespectacled man scratched his head nonchalantly, like he hadn’t just kicked a guy’s head off. He looked up to look at the blond, still kneeling on the ground. “Now, here’s one more unwelcome guest… huh? Nagachika?”

 

Hide cringed as his upper classman held his gaze. _Him too…_

“Nishio-san,” he greeted dryly, his throat feeling raspy.

 

The brunette’s face contorted into an unsettling half smile and his eyes’ pigment started shifting, slowly but undeniably.

 

“Ah, so you’re a ghoul too? That sucks. If you were a human I could’ve eaten you.” Nishio started walking towards him. “But I would’ve never suspected that there’d be another ghoul on campus… you don’t really smell like one, and why is only one of your eyes red? That’s creepy as fuck.”

 

Hide scooted backwards, resting his hand on something warm and dense. He refused to look at the decapitated head that was surely resting somewhere behind him.

 

“Look who’s talking,” he retorted, his voice sounding foreign and strained.

 

“Don’t get cheeky with me, Nagachika. You know, this is _my_ feeding ground, so… get it?”

 

Before the blond could reply he felt a hand suddenly grip his neck and lift him, pushing and pinning him roughly against the wall behind him. Hide gasped and kicked his legs, feeling the oxygen leave his lungs.

 

“You’re trespassing,” Nishio growled. “Don’t _ever_ come into _my_ territory. If you’re a ghoul from the 20th ward, you at least ought to know that.” The hand on his neck tightened, and Hide clutched the other man’s wrists.

 

“N-no.” The blond fought to get his voice out, still gasping for air. “I didn’t... kn-know this was anyone’s property… I don’t have any...thing to do with that other… gh-ghoul.”

 

“Let’s imagine,” the other ghoul replied with a deadpan expression, “that you find your lover lying naked and broken. And in the same place is a man you don’t know, stripped from the waist down, and he says, ‘I didn’t do a thing, I just happened to be here’. So? Do you believe him? If it were me, I would kill the bastard.”

 

Hide couldn’t even process the other’s words anymore. He was gasping desperately, his lungs burning, drool and tears leaking. He kicked his legs frantically.

 

“Your feeding ground, you say?” a familiar menacing voice resounded through the alleyway. “It’s not yours. This is Rize’s turf, Nishiki.”

 

The brunette’s grip loosened a bit and Hide took a shuddering breath, looking up at the shady girl that just casually jumped off a building’s roof to land on the ground like it was nothing.

 

“Touka,” Nishio said, retrieving his hand from Hide’s throat and letting him fall to the ground, coughing furiously. “Did you know? That voracious eater woman died,” he continued, turning to face the other ghoul.

 

“So that means this place is yours now? Don’t be stupid. The management of the 20th ward is our job at Anteiku,” the girl— _Touka, that was her name—_ answered.

 

“This was originally my feeding ground until Rize came along! If she’s dead, then it’s mine now!” Nishio snarled, voice loud and ominous.

 

“That’s not something for you to decide on your own!” Touka bit back. Her expression changed to a condescending smirk. “And besides, this tiny back alleyway was stolen from you because Rize was the stronger one. If you want to blame something, blame your own weakness, idiot!”

 

Hide could feel the annoyance radiating from Nishio, and gulped as the ghoul took a step towards the girl.

 

“Being treated like a fool by an impertinent brat really pisses me off.” His voice was nothing but a low, animalistic growl.

 

They both moved too fast for him to process, and before he knew it Touka was standing behind Nishio. She ran a hand through her hair. “Well, for me,” she muttered, “meeting idiots who think they deserve my respect just for being older… really pisses me off.”

 

She surged forward again, delivering sharp cuts all around Nishio’s body with fast and abrupt movements.

 

The brunette smirked, spreading his arms wide and showcasing his practically unharmed body.

 

“Nothing but shallow cuts,” he said.

 

“Yes,” Touka retorted, titling her head just as blood started pouring from the other ghoul’s wounds. “Should I cut deeper next time?”

 

“Tsch.” Nishio clicked his tongue, glaring. He turned around, doubling over and running off while yelling, “You damned woman!”

 

The girl turned around and eyed the corpses with a bored look on her face. Hide knew that engaging in conversation with the aggressive ghoul that had just cut the living hell out of his upperclassman wasn’t the smartest thing to do at that moment, but she did save his life.

 

“Touka-chan, was it?” He waited until she turned around to continue speaking. “Just… what are ghouls? I get why they kill people, but they also have no connection to their fellow ghouls… there’s no concept of moral or orders in this world, are there?” _How am I supposed to be able to survive in a place like this?_ he didn’t say.

 

“The way I see things, this meat is still uneaten,” she said flatly, ignoring the blond’s question and pointing at the corpse.

 

Hide shot her a horrified look and shook his head. There was _no way._

 

“I can’t do that,” he said in a pleading tone, like he was actually asking for help—which he really needed, to be frank.

 

“Why not? Because you used to be a human?” she asked, even though she didn’t look interested at all.

 

Hide’s chest constricted at the words _used to_. He closed his eyes and looked away. Yes, there was a pretty big part of him that felt disgusted and horrified with eating another human, since he was— _used to be_ —one himself, but that wasn’t all there was to it. He just couldn’t do it. Even though he understood perfectly that starving himself would only lead to a disaster, he just couldn’t.

 

For Kaneki. _I need to stay human for Kaneki._

 

Hide heard a frustrated sigh and turned around to see Touka walking towards the human corpse and crouching next to it.

 

“You’re an idiot. You should just give up already. But if you don’t have the courage to eat it…” A loud crunching sound made him flinch and tense. “...I’ll help you out”.

 

Before he could even register her moving, he felt a hand roughly pushing against his mouth and forcing the raw meat into his mouth. He tried to fight back, clenching his jaw and gripping her arm, but she was too strong and he could feel the sweet scent of blood flooding his senses.

 

 _“EAT_.”

 

As soon as the tender meat touched his tongue he felt a sudden wave of warmness and pleasure go through his whole body, a tingling sensation spreading towards the tips of his fingers. The raw, pure satisfaction of the taste made him feel more overwhelmed than ever. He felt more satiated that he hadn’t felt in weeks.

 

He swallowed.

 

_(The dark haired boy always walked looking at the ground. He was so insecure, so shy, so scared that he never got the courage to look ahead of him. So Hide was the one in charge of grabbing his hand and dragging him forward, helping him advance and adapt, being his lighthouse that guided him through the storms._

_The dark haired boy looked really lonely all the time. He never voiced it, instead choosing to hide himself behind a thick book and small gestures like smiling apologetically or scratching his chin. He closed off the rest of the world, spiraling further into desolation. So Hide was the one in charge of hugging him from behind and being there for him, making him laugh and feel like he was worth it, like he had someone to lean on no matter what.)_

 

Hide stuck his hand in his mouth, probing his fingers down his throat and pulling them out fast before throwing up the meat—the human meat, the actual human meat—he had just swallowed. He spit and wiped his mouth.

 

“What’s wrong?” Touka’s voice rang behind him. “Eat”.

 

“I-I can’t… turn into a monster. I need to stay human… no matter what,” he said with a raspy voice, wiping the tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

 

He was all Kaneki had. He was the only person his friend could rely on. No one else, he had no one else. Hide couldn’t let Kaneki’s most important person turn into a monster.

 

He was convinced that Kaneki wouldn’t just leave him just for being a ghoul, but his friend’s life was already unstable enough as it was. He couldn’t let that happen.

 

“I’m not a ghoul. I’m not a monster. I can’t be,” he murmured weakly.

 

He was suddenly grabbed roughly by his hair. His head was pulled up and he found himself on eye level with Touka. She was sporting a deep frown and an angry scowl.

 

“You’re right, you’re no ghoul. But you’re not a human either. As someone who can’t be called one or the other, there’s nowhere you belong.” She let him go, pushing his head away and standing up straight again. “If you want to keep putting on human airs, go ahead and try to bring yourself to the edge of starvation. I’m telling you now, the hunger of a ghoul is literally hell.”

 

Hide didn’t reply as she turned around and left him sitting there, a beheaded ghoul on his right, his own vomit on his left, and a dead human ahead of him.

 

_Not a ghoul, but no human either, huh…_

 

He sighed and tilted his head backwards, resting it on the wall. He was so tired. He was so sad. He closed his eyes and frowned, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill out again. What was he supposed to do? Just what was he supposed to do?

 

He jumped when he felt his phone vibrate on his pocket. He fished it out, unlocked it, and numbly stared at the screen.

 

 

 

> **_From: Kaneki_ **
> 
> **_Subject: feeling better?_ **

 

 

> _Still taking your notes for asian history… do you know when you’re coming back?_

 

Hide stared at the screen and reread the message over 5 times before biting his lip to fight back his fond smile. This wasn’t supposed to make him feel so happy, especially at such an inappropriate time, but Kaneki never texted him first. _Never._ He clutched his phone and looked at the sky.

_I guess I’ll be alright._

 

* * *

 

 

“Wh-what’s with the eyepatch…” Kaneki stammered, eyes narrowed and eyebrows creased.

 

“It’s a fashion statement!” Hide announced proudly, puffing out his chest. “You know how these days the modern kids wear fedoras and fake glasses and stuff like that, so I decided to invent a new trend: the medical eyepatch! What do you think?”

 

The dark haired boy closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before looking at his friend again.

 

“It doesn’t suit you at all”, he said flatly.

 

“You’re just jealous.” Hide winked at him and realized he did it with the covered eye. Well.

 

“Sure, whatever you say. And what’s up with skipping class for so long? I don’t know anyone in asian history, so put yourself in my shoes…” the other whined, his cheeks puffed out in a cute pout.

 

Hide shot him an apologetic smile. He really did feel sorry, but he couldn’t just tell his best friend about the real reason behind skipping class. He had made a decision after all.

 

He wouldn’t tell Kaneki. He couldn’t get his friend involved in the ghoul world. In _his_ world.

 

“Nagachika!” a voice called behind him.

 

He turned around and smiled at his two upperclassmen—one bespectacled, tall, and lanky; the other one short and chubby—as he waved.

 

“It’s been a long time, Nagachika. Feeling better?” the shorter one asked.

 

“As fresh as ever!” The blond saluted and heard Kaneki scoff right beside him.

 

“Oh, this guy your friend?”

 

Hide’s smile widened and he slung his arm around Kaneki’s shoulders, bringing him close to his body and pointing at the dark haired boy.

 

“Yeah, this is Kaneki Ken! Ever since grade school, I haven’t been able to get rid of ‘im!”

 

“Uh…” Kaneki darted his eyes, fidgeting with the hem of his oversized sweater. No matter how many years passed, he was still really bad with strangers. The blonde’s gaze softened into something softer and fonder before turning to the other men with his usual upbeat grin.

 

“These guys are seniors on the school festival planning committee!” Hide gestured towards them, letting go of Kaneki and giving him his space.

 

“Pleasure.” The tallest of the two of them waved nonchalantly.

 

“And I was invited to the committee too. They sure didn’t think that decision over too well.” Hide laughed loudly.

 

“Would you like to join too, Kaneki-kun? Are you in any other clubs?” the bespectacled man asked.

 

The dark-haired boy flinched and lowered his gaze.

 

“Well, uh… I…” he mumbled, still not looking up.

 

Hide glanced at his best friend before rapidly turning to his upperclassmen.

 

“He can’t! He’s got, you know, committeephobia!” the blond blurted out.

 

“Eh? What’s that?” the taller man asked.

 

“If he’s on a committee or anything, because of the extreme pressure he develops this condition where a mysterious fluid starts leaking out of all his pores,” Hide said with a serious expression.

 

“And how does that end?” the older man questioned.

 

“Death,” the blond deadpanned. The shorter man raised an eyebrow.

 

“Really. Well, whatever. In the meantime, Nagachika, why don’t you get the DVD of last year’s festival from Nishio?” the upper classman said.

 

Hide froze. All of his muscles stiffened as his shoulders tensed up. If he had been asked to go to Nishio’s place two days ago he would have accepted in a flash. But that was two days ago, when he hadn’t known his upperclassman was a flesh-eating monster that could kick off a ghoul’s head like it was nothing.

 

“Ah… do you need it right now?” Hide asked. He could feel Kaneki’s gaze on him, and he broke into a cold sweat.

 

“Yeah, hurry up,” the older male said, clearly dismayed by the blonde’s sudden change of demeanor.

 

“Uh… yeah, okay! See ya!” Hide said, putting on a fake smile while waving and throwing an arm around his best friend, dragging him towards the opposite direction of the other men.

 

“Hide… is something wrong?” Kaneki asked, his eyebrows creasing in a concerned frown. Fuck, Hide had always been proud of his acting skills, but Kaneki still noticed he was acting weirdly…

 

“Nope! I’m just lazy. I mean, Nishio-san’s place is really far away, and walking there is such a hassle.” Hide made a vague hand gesture as he let go of his friend. He took a big step forward, walking in front of Kaneki with his hands behind his head. “You can just go ahead and go home, I’ll see you tomorrow”.

 

“B-but we haven’t seen eachother in so long… And I really don’t mind accompanying you…” Kaneki mumbled.

 

“It’s okay, man. You don’t have to walk with me all the way, since you’re not even in the committee.” Hide turned around to look at his friend and immediately felt bad at the kicked puppy look. He understood how much those words hurt and discouraged Kaneki, but he couldn’t expose him to the danger of an actual ghoul.

 

“Still… I wanna come with you.” Kaneki said, his voice faltering a bit but his gaze firm.

 

Should he push him away more harshly and risk hurting his feelings and fueling his insecurities? Making Kaneki feel bad about himself was the last thing Hide wanted to do, but exposing him to actual danger…

 

But the sole idea of going to visit Nishio alone was incredibly scary. Hide hadn’t eaten anything since the accident, so he was feeling really weak. He had also never taken part in a real fight—except that one time in middle school where he totally hadn’t gotten all beaten up by Kaneki’s bullies when he tried to confront them about being pieces of shit to his best friend—so if he were to face Nishio alone he’d definitely get beaten into a pulp and probably be beheaded instantly.

 

Maybe if he brought a human with him they could both stay safe. Ghouls disguised themselves as humans and tried to integrate in society, so Nishio would be forced to pretend and keep up the human act if Kaneki was there with him. It seemed risky, but it was the best option he had. Getting Kaneki in danger was absolutely terrifying, but if he got killed Kaneki would be left alone, and he couldn’t allow that either.

 

“Alright then, let’s go,” Hide said, smiling at his best friend, whose face suddenly lit up.

 

“Okay!” Kaneki beamed, catching up to him and walking by his side, smiling shyly at the ground. _Holy shit, that’s cute._

 

Hide felt his cheeks heat up and cleared his throat. He shot up his arm, pointing the sky and shouted, “Onwards!”, marveling at Kaneki’s giggle.

 

This was a good plan.

 

Hide was okay.

 

* * *

 

Hide took at deep breath, staring at the door.

 

“Hide? Are you okay?” Kaneki asked, gripping the strap of his bag.

 

“Yeah!” he lied, rapidly sliding the door open. “Hey, excuse me!”

 

“Hide, you could at least knock…” Kaneki said.

 

Both boys froze, staring blankly at the half-naked girl straddling the upperclassman sitting in his chair. She had beautiful shoulders. Nice boobs, too. And a pretty face. Not as pretty as Kaneki’s, but pretty nonetheless.

 

They watched her blankly as she screeched in embarrassment and ran past them, trying—and failing—to cover up as much of her exposed skin as she could. Hide heard Kaneki sigh and turned to his best friend, who was looking at him with a strained expression that seemed to say something along the lines of, _‘I am so done with you’_.

 

“Nagachika,” the man inside the room spoke up, and Hide turned to look at him, tense and afraid. His upperclassman was sitting in his chair, legs crossed. He was smirking mischievously. Hide grinned too, feeling cold sweat coming from all of his pores.

 

“Nishio-san… um, sorry ‘bout that,” he said, trying to use a nonchalant tone.

 

“I hate it when people barge in on my territory. You should know that more than anyone,” Nishio said, his lopsided smirk widening.

 

Hide narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, trying to not let his smile falter. _Not in front of Kaneki_. He instinctively shielded Kaneki with his body. Nishio’s expression turned neutral, and Hide gulped.

 

“You’re with Nagachika?” he said, taking a step closer.

 

“Yeah!” Hide said, throwing an arm around Kaneki’s shoulders and bringing him close, glaring at his upperclassman for an instant before slipping back into his happy-go-lucky facade. “This is my friend Kaneki! Known each other since we were kids!”

 

“N-nice to meet you…” Kaneki said, clearly intimidated.

 

Nishio leaned down and smiled again, making Hide shiver and protectively press the black-haired boy closer to his body. He looked like an animal that had just found his prey.

 

“I’m a second year from the pharmaceutical department. Nishio Nishiki.” The brunette’s smile widened and his voice lowered. “My pleasure, Kaneki.”

 

_Oh god. I fucked up._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. I'm sorry, I hate this chapter. But hey, it is done, and now I can move on to he parts I look forward to writing. I won't give any promises this time though, I might not update in a couple of weeks or more. I might upload a drabble or something on my tumblr (hidebot) though, but no promises there either.
> 
> Also, besides the usual thank you to my beta Jamie, I would also like to thank Jii for helping me fight this block. Thank you, you poopie.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will be irregular because I have no control over my life. 
> 
> Go shower my wonderful beta with love on kanekibot.tumblr.com~
> 
> And a big thank you to the hidekane support group for coping with me and helping me when I had doubts, you're all lovely <3


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